St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-12-31
IOHN ESTEN COOKE.
Home Life OF the Distinguished Virginia
Soldier A uthor.


Early in the summer of 1882 | received
an invitation from John Esten Cooke to
pay him visit in his wild and romantic
home in the shenandoah Valley. had
known the clever Virginia novelist for
many years, but various circumstances
had hitherto prevented me from enjoying
the hospitality of little mountain home.
In June, 1882, however, professional bust
ness called me to the Valley of Virginia,
and gladly availed myself of the oppor-
tunity to linger for few days in the vi
entity of the Blue Ridge mountains.
The Brars, where Mr. Cooke lived from
the time of his marriage in the fall OF
1867, is an old and picturesque place,
with mountains to the left, mountains to
the right and mountains to the front.
Here the novelist lived the quiet but
happy life of Virginia gentleman, with
his horses and dogs, hunting and fishing
during the season, but devoting much
time at all seasons to his books and lit
erary work. His library was well filled
with those books which mo gentleman's
shelves should be without the good old
English classics-which are now more
talked about than read; but Mr.. Cooke
was careful student of Addison, Pope,
Goldsmith, johnson and the other writers
of the eighteenth century, whom Thack-
cray so dearly loved
r,oI =, .rro,t Jaol Of - id
the novelist, filling huge meerschaum
with Lone Jack-for he was a devoted
consumer of the Virginia weed-''l read
great deal of every sort, books, maya
zines and newspapers; also large
amount of French-Dumas, St. Beuve,
Portmartin, etc Old Count Portmartin
sends me many of his books with in
scriptions too complimentary to be re-
peated.'
when do you write? l have never
seen you with pen in your hand
II am an early riser, and am at my
desk by six o'clock every morning. The
morning is my golden time for literary
work, when the music of the early birds
soothes my mind and the sweet quiet of
the hour is conducive to thought. | find,
by long experience, that two hours in
the early morning are worth more for
literary work than four hours in any
other part of the day. Therefore, from
six to eight every day when | am at
home, | devote to writing, after which |
feel that have earned my breakfast, and
enjoy it, as you have seem
! Don't you take anything before sit
I ting down to your work.
! "A cup of coffee and roll-what the
French call cafe uu zait find that quite
| sufficient until breakfast, which is my
best meal. After breakfast, | ride over
| the farm to see that the hands are doing
their work; then, in the hunting and
| fishing season, | spend the remaining
! hours of the morning with my gun or
rod. There is fine sport in these glorious
| old mountains for a genuine lover of
hunting and fishing, one who does not
mind roughing it little. AS for my
self, am no kid-glove sportsman; and
| keenly enjoy hunting deer, although
have to climb precipice sometimes to
! get shot at one of the nimble-footed
animals. And for fishing, old 1saak
Walton himself could not have wished
for better than is found in these noun
| tain streams
How do you pass the afternoon and
EVENING""
"The afternoon l devote to my meer-
schaum and my books; the evening l
devote to my books and my meerschaum.
By ten o'clock all the inmates of the
Briars are enjoying the sleep that comes
from a good conscience and healthy
life"
"Have you much society,""
ooh, yes; the monotony OF country
life is varied by a delightful Virginia
society. for the neighborhood is perfect
nest of Pages, Randolphs, Masons and
other old families Sometimes | have
visitors from a distance-George W.
Carleton, fine fellow, and others; but
not often, this place being off the route
of tourists. | am never lonesome, for |
have always with me my books, my pipe,
nv gun and my boys. Since the death
of my wife four years ago these three
bows, have claimed all my care and affec-
ton
your literary career began very early,
did it not?'
Eyes; my first book, The Virginia
Comedians was written before l was
twenty-three years old. Its success en-
couraged me to abandon the law, for
which had no prediction, and to adopt
literature as my profession, for which l
had always great liking. This was a
pretty bold step thirty years ago, when
literature was scarcely recognized as a
profession in this country. But l have
never regretted my early choice My
first novel was published in 1863 at
which time the Southern Literary Messeaa-
oer was f1ourishing under the editorship
of the late John R. Thompson. 1t was
eminently respectable and scholarly, but
would not compare with the magazines
of the present time, with their varied
and interesting reading. | wrote both
prose and poetry for the Messenger, and
when Thomson was in Europe in 1854